Off the Island

Until Monday, Abdel Jabbar Hamdan, a 46-year-old father of six U.S.-born children who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Buena Park, had been in jail for two years. He was incarcerated on Terminal Island, a man-made island in Los Angeles where, during World War II, Japanese men were detained by the FBI; today, the place is where the Justice Department is stashing Muslims with alleged terrorist ties. Hamdan was such a prisoner. According to today's Los Angeles Times:

"Hamdan worked as a fundraiser for the Dallas-based Holy Land Foundation, an Islamic charity shut down by the U.S. in December 2001 for allegedly raising money for Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the U.S.

Hamdan was accused of violating U.S. immigration law and ordered deported.

Hamdan, a Palestinian, was ordered deported to Jordan, where he grew up. Homeland Security officials insist he is a threat to national security but lost the legal attempt to keep him jailed. "

So Hamdan is out now, but he's still being monitored and still being threatened with deportation. It may be a year before he finds out whether he can stay in the country. But he has been voted off the island. --Robert Wilonsky